Portable electric battery.



l. FERTMAN.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC BATTERY. APPLlcMloNl FILED' DEQ-16, |915.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

Mum 01%,

35 sirable when wanted.

'ISIDOR FERTMAN, 0F NEW YORK, N.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC BATTERY.

T all whom t may Concern:

Be it known that I, IsiDoR FERTMAN, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Nd .430 Test Fourteenth street, in the city of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improveinentsin Portable Electric Batteries; and VI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention1 such as will enable others skilled in the art '.to which it appertains to make and use the saine.' Y

The present invention has reference to means. whereby two or more cells may be combined in a convenient portable forni for ready use, in such a manner as to connect the same automatically and instantaneously in series; and the invention will be found especially useful in connection with 'the manufacture ofwhat are known as dry cells used for gas engine work, portable lamps, telephones and for many other well known purposes.

The principal advantage of the invention is that 1t makes it possible to produce a low resistanceseries connection between the cells with the utmost expedition, and without recourse to soldering or spring connections. This makes it possible to replace a damaged cell in a group without expert knowledge and without tools.

Another, and incidental advantage, is that single cells may be stored separately and may be assembled in suchgroups as are deis that, where any accident happens to a single cell', or 'when it is found that, Vfor some reason, not externally visible, a single cell lis ldecient, it may be Vdiscarded by itself,

40 without destroying any permanent connection with another cell'A or cells.

IVhile I have herein shown and described the invention as applied to a group of two cells in series, it will be readily understoodthat a greater number may be connected 1n accordance with the saine principle.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of a two cell group with some portions broken away to exhibit certain details, Fig.V 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the preferred arrangement of the peripheral binding post, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my improved removable coni cell has the usual proyecting carbon electrode ducting plate.` My improved combina,

Specification of Letters Patent.

'F ig. 1. turned over the top edge of the zinc periph- One result of this .Patented Jan..23`, 1917.

Application iiled December 16, 1915. Serial No. 67,278.

or more superposed battery cells of that type wherein the external wall (usually of zinc) constitutes one electrode, 0f which cells the lowerinost is bare and the others bear suitably placed insulation (such as varvni'sh or paper). These are combined with a wide conducting' strip so curved as to conforni to the curve of the cells and bearing at its upper end a biiidingpost adapted to be vsupported on the edge of the uppermost cell,

being insulated from the zinc of all the cells but the lowerinost, with which it is held in close contact by a suitable container (preferably of cardboardor the like) in which the group, is placed and within which it fits with a suitable degree of tightness.

In lthe drawings the outer cylinder of cardboard is shown at 10, and the lowermost bare dry cell at ll. The upper cells are represented by the 'single cell'12, preferably entirely enveloped in paper 13, which serves as' insulation and preferably turned inward under the edge of the cell as shown at 13 in The upper edge of this paper is eral wall of each of the covered cells, as-

clearly shown in Fig. 2. In order to provide a ready means of connection with one extremity of the battery,

represented by the lowerinost zinc wall, I provide a. conducting-pitite 14, so curved in cross section as to it the outside of the cells, and preferably provided with a retaining ledge 15 which serves to insure firm and permanent connection between successive cells, by preventing their slipping apart.

The top lof the plate 14 is provided with sulation 13, as `clearly shown in Fig. 2. The l length of the plate 14 is such that, when the binding post 16 is forced into theposition shown in Fig.- Q., the ledge 15 is turned' under the lowerniost cell of the. group as shown at 15 in Fig; 1. i

As shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, each at its center, which is held in -firm Contact it. The topmost electrode is provided with the binding post 18.

; The parts having been thus assembled,

they are pressed into the tightly tting outer insulating casing l0, whereby firm connecting Contact is preservedbetween the plate let and the lowermost cell, and th -various parts are heldsubstantially immo able It will be seen thatI produce in this unanner a battery of convenient portableform, which can be connected With any external electrical device by means of the binding posts 1G and 18. 1

1. A portable battery comprising in combination a group of superposed cells the lowermost of which is bare While the others carry a suitable external insulation, a removable -conducting plate having a binding post at one end and fitting closely against all of said cells, and an external insulating casing snugly fitting said cells and plate.

2. A portable battery comprising in combination a group of superposed cells the lowermost of which is bare While the others carry a suitable external insulation, a removable conducting plate curved to t saidl ttingsaid cells and plate.

3i A portable battery comprising in combination a group of superposed cells the lowermost of Which is-bare while the others carry a suitable. external insulation, a re- Ymovable .conducting plate curved to tsaid cells, extending along. the same and having.

a. retaining ledge extendingl under the edge of the. lowermost cell, a binding posty at the top of said plate adapted so to engage the edge of the top cell as to confine the cells between it -and said ledge, and an external insulating casing snugly' fitting said cells and plate.

4. As an article'of manufacture a .remov-l able connecting element for batteries comprising a cylindrically curved plate having an internal ledge at one end and a binding post at the other end provided with a slot adapted to straddle the edge of a battery` cell of the general type described..

In testimony whereof, I have atfixed my.

signature.

' ISIDOR FERTMAN. 

